Ultranumb
by monami915
Summary: One decision, and everything Artemis used to know disappears, except for one man: the man with the power to destroy everything she cares about. With a future this uncertain, anything's game. WallArt in later chapters. Rated T for mild language/violence.
1. Ultranumb

Lately I haven't been able to get this show out of my head; I've actually reached a point of obsession that rivals my feelings for Harry Potter, and that's really saying something. =) It doesn't hurt that I am in love with the Wally/Artemis pairing.

Anyhow, I had to offer my story to the many others already out there. Hopefully everyone likes it.

By the way, reviews are awesome. They motivate me to keep writing. =)

None of these characters are mine, but oh, how I wish they were.

**x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter One: Ultranumb**

_Violated, so degraded._  
><em>The show has just begun.<em>  
><em>Dominated by all you hated.<em>  
><em>This will make you ultranumb.<em>  
><em>- ULTRAnumb, by Blue Stahli<em>

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was a fighter, a surviver. From the moment she'd been able to comprehend the world around her, she'd been taught how to navigate the deadliest aspects of life. She was encased in an unbreakable armor, always separated from everything around her. Untouchable. Unbreakable. Taking refuge in isolation.

But then _they_ had come and rocked her to her very core. The cracks appeared then, and for the first time in a long while she let herself experience feelings besides anger, and hatred, and betrayal.

Megan had been the most welcoming, the first to accept her presence on the team. It was Megan who reassured her, Megan who included her, Megan who supported her. A sister. That's what Megan had called her. Artemis had never had a sister, and she didn't know what it meant to have one. But she was quickly beginning to understand. It meant watching each other's backs. It meant listening with no judgement. It meant homemade cookies and giggling about boys and trust. It hurt her, to know that Megan was so open, and yet she herself was so closed off.

Kaldur was so calm, so level-headed, that he was a rock, a port in a storm. Sometimes Artemis hung out with him not because she wanted to be around someone, but because when Kaldur was around, a sort of stillness came with him. It was nearly impossible to be panicked or worried around the Atlantean, and so she found herself spending more and more time with him. He never pried, which she appreciated. He remained unfazed by her moments of anger, and she was grateful to have someone around who could help her control her temper.

Robin was...well, he was Robin, the only one who actually seemed to enjoy watching her verbally thrash Wally. He was the one who kept secrets, which made her feel less guilty. He understood why she had to work harder, go farther, and do better than the rest of her teammates. He didn't have powers either; he understood the value of tenacity, the power of repetition, of drills, of practicing until your fingers were numb and your muscles screamed for relief. He never called her out for her temper, because he understood it came from her drive to succeed.

Superboy was angry, just as she was. They understood each other's pain. Connor was constantly denied a father figure, left alone, longing for even a hint of approval from Superman. Artemis did her best to not mention her family, but she too was alone, with only a broken shell for a mother and a lurking shadow of evil incarnate for a father. Whenever Superboy snapped for no reason, or sat in obstinate silence, she felt an emotion alien to her: sympathy. Still, despite being rejected in the cruelest of ways, he was a good person. It gave her hope for herself.

Wally. She'd never met anyone like him. How could one boy drive her so insane? How could one look from him cause her to grit her teeth in irritation? How could one word from him cause such an explosion of anger? It wasn't really her fault, their relationship. She'd rubbed him the wrong way from day one, without ever having done anything. It hadn't been her fault that he and Red Arrow were old friends. Wally was so annoyingly loyal. It drove a wedge between her and him, and sometimes it seemed that the abyss between them could never be crossed.

And yet, when they actually let their guards down, there was...something there. She didn't really want to think about it, and yet her thoughts constantly roamed to Bialya. Memory loss had left them both confused, and that confusion opened doorways. Artemis had been caught in a weak moment, and the headache pounding through her skull had overridden her better judgment and led to her saying the first things that came to mind. She woke sometimes in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, fearing that Wally would link two and two together. So far, he hadn't, and it seemed unlikely that he ever would, which she found reassuring. Just as often, she woke in confusion, hearing his voice echoing through her head. _Hey, beautiful_. She wanted to rip her brain out and toss it across the room for thinking such thoughts, but at the same time, she treasured the way he'd looked at her, the way he'd spoken to her. She tried to write it off as circumstantial, but deep down she knew she was lying to herself.

Perhaps that had been the final blow to her already-weakened armor. The fact of the matter was, she had been stripped of all defenses. These people made her _feel_, and it was so amazing to allow herself to experience emotion after emotion. After years of depriving herself the luxury of feelings, she was practically glowing with her newfound freedom.

That more than anything had convinced her that she was wrong. Artemis was proud, she knew it. Maybe it came with having a paraplegic mother, feeling that she had to protect her at all times, to shield her from the rude stares of strangers. Maybe it came from having a twisted father, a man whom she'd tried time and time again to please, but whom she could never impress, because she was just a pawn to him, no matter how hard she tried to prove that she was more. Her pride did not easily allow her to admit she was wrong.

And yet she was. In the worst of ways.

She'd lived her life allowing her father to control her, blocking out the sad pleas of her mother. She'd deprived herself of family, friendship, love. Now she saw that she had been rejecting the most worthwhile parts of humanity, and now that she'd had a taste of the intoxicating brew of a life well-lived, she could not let it escape her.

She would not do it. She wouldn't. Her father could find a new pawn. She was finished.

Despite her absolute confidence in her decision, fear hovered at the edges of her mind, threatening to consume her. Her father was ruthless, she knew that. He would maim without hesitation, kill without blinking an eye. Above all, he hated to loose, and he would most certainly consider her decision to be a personal blow.

She wasn't scared that he would come after her. She was scared that he would go after the people she loved.

It had been a week since she was supposed to have made her first report. She knew that her father would act soon after her no-show. She'd warned her mother, even going to far as to move her to a new apartment. Artemis told herself it would help, but she wasn't so sure.

Everyone on the team had noticed she was more on-edge, but thankfully they'd had the tact to leave her alone. Even Wally had managed to keep his mouth shut, and he'd barely given her a hard time all week.

She currently sat in her room at Mount Justice, going through her arrows, setting the damaged ones aside to be repaired later. The monotony of the task settled her, and the concentration required when looking for subtle flaws in the arrow prevented her mind from wandering. She was so engrossed with the task that she didn't notice Wally leaning casually against the doorpost.

"Yo, ninja girlfriend." She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. She stood slowly, a scowl flickering on her lips. His only response was to grin. "Wow, I thought it was impossible to sneak up on you."

She ignored his comment. "What do you want, Baywatch?"

He frowned. "Really? When are you gonna drop that?"

A sly grin spread across her features, and she moved her hands to rest lightly on her hips. "When you drop the ninja thing."

"Ouch," he whistled, running a hand through his hair. "Hard bargain. I'm gonna have to think about it. Anyway," he continued, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Batman asked me to come and get you. He needs to talk to you. Well, everyone, but he said to make sure you were there."

Artemis thanked every deity there was that she was a master at disguising emotion; otherwise, Wally would've seen the panic that shot through her. Had Batman found out? Was he kicking her off the team? Were her teammates there to accuse her of being a traitor? She relaxed when she saw Wally's face. The boy was an open book. If he was upset with her, she'd know. As it was, he seemed perfectly relaxed.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming." She left her room at a brisk walk, Wally beside her. The two made their way through the hallways of Mount Justice in silence, and yet it was not an awkward silence, as it usually was. Instead, it was as if the two of them were comfortable enough with each other that they didn't need to speak. She didn't have time to mull over this new development, though, because they had reached the training room, where the rest of the team were grouped around Batman.

She took a deep, calming breath and walked over, willing herself to remain composed. Batman, noticing their arrival, began their briefing. "I'm sure you all remember the venom Kobra was producing?" The team nodded. Artemis kept silent. It still stung, sometimes, the reminders that she was the latecomer, almost an outcast at times. Batman nodded. "I'd fill you in, Artemis, but it's not important. What is important is that we've received word that a new batch has been made. Kobra already sent out the shipment, but we have a guess as to where it is being delivered. I trust you all remember Sportsmaster?"

Artemis froze, before forcing herself to breathe once more. Her teammates were nodding, and in her shock, she found herself nodding as well. When the others gave her a variety of questioning glances, she supplied, "I've heard of him. He sounds like a nasty piece of work." Somehow, her voice was steady, even though her entire body was numb with shock.

"Yes, he is," Batman commented, before continuing. "I have coordinates to his base of operations. You have around three days before the shipment reaches him; it will be slowed by the various checkpoints it will need to be smuggled past. In two days, you're all being deployed to his headquarters. You will scout things out, find out why he needs the venom and what he's planning on using it for, if possible, then report back to me."

Robin, of course, was the first to speak. "Wait, why are we waiting two days if we know where he is now? Why not go get him before he gets the venom?"

"Because, you can learn more about his intentions once he possesses the shipment, and because I want your entire team there, and there is some business here that has to be dealt with first. Dismissed." The team slowly began to make their way out of the room, murmuring to each other, obviously confused by Batman's last words. Artemis lagged behind, still in shock. A hand on her shoulder made her halt, and she turned around to face Batman.

Fear shot through her at the look on his face. He didn't seem angry, as he would if he had discovered the truth. Instead, she saw sympathy written on his features, and it made her insides clench nervously. "Artemis," he began, sighing. "I've called Oliver. He's...he's going to go with you."

"With me where?" she asked, confusion and anxiety threatening to bubble over her carefully constructed facade of calm.

Batman's gaze was full of pity. "To the hospital. Someone attacked your mother."


	2. Undone

First, I want to apologize for taking so long to update this story. Normally I try to get a chapter up every week, but my personal life suddenly became a train-wreck. I know, sounds dramatic, right? But it's actually the truth, everything just kind of went to hell. I didn't have time to write, and even if I had, I wouldn't have been in the mood. Anyway, I've been working hard to get things straightened out in my life, and hopefully things will be back to normal soon. It may still take me a bit between this chapter and the next, but after that I should be able to update every week. Like I said, I'm really sorry about the wait.

And I know, this chapter is short, but it didn't feel right to combine it with the following chapter. I promise I will do my best to upload chapter three as quickly as I possibly can! Of course, I'm also scrambling to post new chapters for my other stories (which I've also neglected), so it may take longer than I'd like. But I really will do my best.

I have to say, wow! I can't believe the amount of people who were interested in this story! You guys seriously made my day! Thanks to Artemis Crock, Kittyprydex1, ThePuppetMasterKati, Renting, Hezpeller, BleakRememberance, Fallenarchangel, xxxtrickstergirlxxx, .LoveForever, and khaos theory alice for favoriting the story. Thanks also to Clair-Rae, itoldyouso2718, killerkaiser, Fallen Hikari, Wheatieluv, avatarlover95, shadowinthedark13, Black Licorice Addict, Red Tigress, and SakuraJade for subscribing to story alert. Of course, kudos to those who reviewed: NinjaSheik, Ninja in Training, shadowinthedark13, Hezpeller, Black Licorice Addict, BleakRememberance, Red Tigress, and SakuraJade.

Again, wow! That the most support I've ever gotten! Thanks so much to you all. I'm totally whelmed.

Alas, none of these characters are mine. More's the pity.

**x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter Two: Undone**

_Come undone, surrender is stronger,  
><em>_I don't need to be the hero tonight.  
><em>_We all want love, we all want honor.  
><em>_Nobody wants to pay the asking price.  
><em>_- Undone, by FFH_

"Dad!"

The high-pitched cry echoed through the still air, the word blurred by barely-muffled sobs. "Daddy!" The only response was a sudden gust of wind, lifting the loose powder off of the treetops and sending snow flying.

She shivered and hugged her arms around her middle, too exhausted to do anything else. Of course she knew the drill: find some shelter, build a fire. It was routine. But she was hungry, and cold, and so, _so_ tired.

Her dad had told her what happened to people who went to sleep in cold weather. Her young mind did not fully grasp the concept of death; she didn't understand how someone could possibly be here one moment, then gone the next. But what she did understand was that death was irreversible. Once life left a body, it would never return.

She didn't want that to happen to her. If it did, her mother would be all alone, stuck in her shiny new wheelchair with no clue how to function on her own. She could not do that; no, she _would_ not do that. She would not let her mother down.

Guilt was a strong motivator. Her father knew that. He'd made sure that she knew it was her fault. She could have spared her mother months of agony, and an appallingly dim future. But she hadn't been strong enough. She had failed, and failure was not acceptable. Failure was to be punished, always.

Somehow, she managed to stand from where she had fallen, her legs shaking with exhaustion. Her entire frame jerked violently, consumed by painful shivers. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and she could barely see, but she turned her face toward the dim sunlight and pushed forward, her feet dragging through the snow.

She had begged, had pleaded and sobbed until her voice left her. Don't hurt Mom, not Mom, not her. But her father had been unstoppable in his rage. Lessons had to be learned. She didn't seem to feel the effect of her own bruises, so she would instead be taught by the pain of someone she cared for more than herself.

A loud snap broke through her stupor, and she threw herself to the side, her movements sluggish. A tree branch laden with snow had no longer been able to hold the weight resting atop it, and had snapped, falling to the snow-covered ground below. But with her senses dulled and her thoughts scattered, she had moved too late. The branch landed on her arm, and a new snap echoed through the air.

Her cry was choked, harsh and broken from the sudden burning pain. There was a fire in her arm and her wrist and her hand, and it was beginning to spread up her shoulder. Desperate for relief, she reached her other arm across and shoved at the branch, fumbling efforts that were weak and ineffective. She was pinned, alone, injured and helpless.

She struggled for a long time against the frozen piece of wood. It was unyielding, reminding her horribly of her father, and her fear fueled her futile attempts to free herself. But as seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into an indefinite amount of time, she felt herself slipping into submission. It was easier to just give in, to lay back and allow the cold to seep through her clothing, stealing the last vestiges of her strength. She didn't know how, but somehow she found herself curled up beside the branch, her eyes drifting shut as snow slowly began to cover her.

Maybe dying wouldn't be all that bad. She hoped not. At least then she would be free of the man that she had spent her whole life struggling with. All she wanted was his approval, some gesture that showed that he at least thought she was valuable. She wanted to be like the children she watched on the television, happy and laughing and loved as they snuggled up to their fathers for a bedtime story.

But she would never have that life. She knew that. Hoping wouldn't make it better. Wishing wouldn't make things right.

She could feel the tears forming, clinging to her eyelashes and freezing on her cheeks. Her shallow breathing began to slow, and she closed her eyes, unable to fight anymore. It was too hard. She just couldn't do it.

A sharp kick to her ribs caused her eyes to fly open, and a rasping cry escaped from her lips. He loomed over her, thunderous in his rage. She desperately wanted to shrink away from him, to hide and beg for mercy, but she knew better. To do so would only enrage him further.

He picked up the branch and threw it to the side with a loud grunt. She tried to move her arm, but pain ripped through her numb limb and she cried out once more.

"Get up," he spat, temper seething in his voice. She tried, she really did, but she couldn't get her feet under her, and collapsed into the snow.

"I said, GET UP!" His scream sent a jolt of fear through her, but she couldn't move. He reached down and picked her up by the back of her shirt, dragging her over to a tree and throwing her against the frozen trunk. "You. Are. WEAK!" He hissed, punctuating each word with a yank of her broken arm. She moaned, against her will, and that aggravated him further. "What have I taught you?"

She took a deep breath, fighting the blackness that was clouding the edges of her vision. "Weakness is the worst flaw," she managed to pant, gripping the tree behind her in an effort to steady herself.

He nodded, a single jerk of his head, his eyes leering at her from behind his mask. "And _what_ is to be done with flaws?"

She rallied the last remaining strength that her eight-year-old body possessed and responded: "Flaws must be eliminated."

And then she was falling into the blackness, and not even her father's screams of absolute fury could stop her descent.


End file.
